Frank b



(No Model.)

I, B. CONVERSE.

BANJO. I No. 494,059. Patented Mar. 21, 1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

FRANK B. CONVERSE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO HAMILTON S. GORDON, OF SAME PLACE.

BANJO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 494,059, dated March 21, 1893.

Application filed November 25, 1892. Serial No. 453,111. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK B. CONVERSE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Banjos and Similar Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to banjos and other musical instruments of the class in which the strings are extended from the tail piece over a vibrating drum or head, and the invention consists in several novel features which are herein fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1, is a vertical section on the line a: 00 Fig. 2. Fig. 2, is a plan or top view of the instrument, a portion of the finger piece and strings being removed. Fig. 3, is a separate view of the tail piece.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a drum or head A of the usual construction,including the skin, so called, which is stretched over the head. The strings B are conducted over the finger piece 0 and thence over the drum, where they rest upon the bridge D, whose upper edge has notches E in which the strings rest. The bridge rests directly upon the drum of the instrument, but is unattached thereto so that it can be adjusted on the drum head, and in order to prevent the bridge from slipping, and from being displaced by reason of the vibration of the drum produced in the action of playing, I form a groove F on the bottom of the bridge, as shown in Fig. 1, said groove extending from end to end of the bridge along the bottom of its piers.

The tail piece G of the instrument is provided with two rows of holes HH for receiving the strings B which are fastened to the tail piece by knotting their ends and then passing them down through the series of holes H, and thence under and around the bead I formed on the part J of the tail piece, and thence down through the series of holes H, and thence towardthe bridge. The bead I is cylindrical in shape, and by thus conducting the strings through the two series of holes and around the cylindrical bead on their way to the bridge of the instrument, additional friction is produced on them, thereby relieving the strain on the knots. The bead is so constructed and arranged on the tail piece that there is no angular edge or surface formed on the tail piece at that place over which the strings must pass, and therefore the strings pass over a convex or rounded surface and are not liable to be broken or frayed as they would be if passing over a sharp or angular edge.

The tail piece G is made in two parts J J which are jointed to each other or interlocked at K in such a manner that they can automatically adjust themselves to each other should there be and change in the size or position of the bridge. The rear portion of the tail piece beyond the hinge is extended downward and outside of the head A, to the bracket L to which itis connected by a bolt and nut L.

The parts J J of the tail piece areprevented from sliding endwise upon or coming apart from each other by providing indentations M on their surfaces so that the parts J J' of the hinge are free to turn upon but are prevented from having any endwise motion upon each other.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a banjo, and the strings thereof, of a bridge adjustable on the drum head of the banjo and provided in its bottom edge with agroove F, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a banjo, or similar instrument, a tail piece composed of two sections J J having a jointed connection K, one of said sections being provided with a cylindrical bead I and two rows of string holes H, II located between the bead and the jointed connection of the two sections, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination with a banjo, of a tail piece having a joint K, a cylindrical bead I and two series of string holes H and H located between the cylindrical bead and the said joint, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. In banjos and similar instruments the provision on the interlocked parts J J of the tail piece, of the projections or indentations M M for preventing those parts from sliding endwise upon or away from each other, sub- 10 stantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK B. CONVERSE.

Witnesses:

J. VAN SANTVOORD, E. F. KASTENHUBER. 

